WAJZ
Encyclopedia
WAJZ is an urban
-leaning Rhythmic Contemporary
station serving the Albany
-Schenectady
-Troy
area. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting
and operates at 96.3 MHz with an ERP of 6 kW and is licensed to Voorheesville, New York
. The station is one of the few Class A FM signals based on the Helderberg Mountains antenna farm used by higher powered FM's and most TV stations in the market.
radio station, and evolving to rhythmic contemporary
by September 2005 due to WKKF
's change in direction. As of 2011, the station tends to lean more urban
rather than dance (similar to WQHT in New York City
) due to sister mainstream CHR
WFLY
, and has ranked in the top 5 in several Arbitron books, a rarity for a lower-powered signal in the Albany market.
Special shows featured on the station include the Interactive 9 at 9 weeknights at 9:00 PM, Dawson McAllister Live
on Sunday nights from 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM, the Hollywood Hamilton Weekend Top 30, and Full Throttle Radio on Saturday nights from 9:00 PM to midnight and 1:00 AM to 4:00 AM.
The current on-air staff as of January 2011 includes: The J. Will Jamboree (weekday mornings, 6:00–10:00 AM), Tanch (weekdays, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM), Charlie (weekday afternoons, 3:00 PM–7:00 PM), Scott Penk (weeknights, 7:00 PM–midnight), and Miss Sarah (overnights, midnight–6:00 AM). DJ iRoc also airs special shows throughout the week, such as the Friday Night Flava Mix from 7 to 11 PM on Friday nights, and AMW TAKEOVER M-F 11p-midnight. Weekend/fill-in jocks include Corporate, Special K, Linda Love, DJ TGIF and D. Rock.
Sunday afternoons also include the 100% Mixshow w/ Miss Sarah and DJ TGIF.
. Eventually, WCDA brought back in more locally-produced programming. Like most locally-owned and operated "single" stations, WCDA found itself competing against ownership groups that had acquired multiple stations. The Albany market, like most radio markets in the nation, saw all of its individually-owned stations eventually sold to larger group broadcasters, WCDA among them.
In August 1996, Albany Broadcasting (forerunner to today's Pamal Broadcasting) purchased WCDA, put the WPTR calls the company retained from their sale of 1540 AM, and relaunched the station under a classic-heavy country approach. After 18 months of struggling ratings, the station relaunched on November 3, 1997 as new country Power Country 96.3 after a weekend of Halloween
-related stunting. The relaunch had no effect on its ratings as the station languished at the bottom of the ratings even with rights to Siena College
men's basketball and New York Yankees
baseball.
On December 23, 1998, WPTR changed its format to Urban Contemporary
, the first such station in the market, as Jamz 96.3 with the WAJZ calls following several weeks later. For its first half-decade, the station maintained very good numbers but increased competition from rivals WVCR-FM
(Siena College
) and rhythmic-leaning WKKF
forced the station to reevaluate its stance. In September 2005
, it started shifting its direction towards a Rhythmic Contemporary
approach (similar to WPKF
in Poughkeepsie, New York) due to the station not having competitors when they were an urban station. Since 2011, the station has returned to an Urban Contemporary
direction with most dance product shifting to sister station WFLY
; however, the station is still reported as a Rhythmic Contemporary
by Mediabase
and Nielsen BDS.
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
-leaning Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
station serving the Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
-Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
-Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
area. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting
Pamal Broadcasting
Pamal Broadcasting, Ltd. is a family-owned radio ownership with stations in medium-to-small markets in the Northeast and Florida. Based in the Albany suburb of Latham, New York, Pamal Broadcasting was founded in 1986 as Albany Broadcasting when business man James J. Morrell entered broadcast...
and operates at 96.3 MHz with an ERP of 6 kW and is licensed to Voorheesville, New York
Voorheesville, New York
Voorheesville is a village within the town of New Scotland in Albany County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany and part of the city's historic metropolitan area. The population was 2,789 at the 2010 census. The village is named after a railroad attorney, Alonzo B...
. The station is one of the few Class A FM signals based on the Helderberg Mountains antenna farm used by higher powered FM's and most TV stations in the market.
Programming
Since the launch of Jamz 96.3 on December 23, 1998, it has become one of the most popular radio stations in the Albany market, initially as an urban contemporaryUrban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
radio station, and evolving to rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
by September 2005 due to WKKF
WKKF
WKKF is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station licensed to Ballston Spa, New York and serving the Capital District and Adirondacks...
's change in direction. As of 2011, the station tends to lean more urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
rather than dance (similar to WQHT in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) due to sister mainstream CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
WFLY
WFLY
WFLY is a Contemporary Hit Radio station licensed to Troy, New York and serving New York's Capital District as well as the surrounding areas, including the Adirondacks...
, and has ranked in the top 5 in several Arbitron books, a rarity for a lower-powered signal in the Albany market.
Special shows featured on the station include the Interactive 9 at 9 weeknights at 9:00 PM, Dawson McAllister Live
Dawson McAllister Live
Dawson McAllister Live is a talk radio show hosted by Dawson McAllister where teenagers and young adults talk about problems in life including divorce, depression, cutting, suicide, drug addictions, eating disorders, homosexuality, and family issues...
on Sunday nights from 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM, the Hollywood Hamilton Weekend Top 30, and Full Throttle Radio on Saturday nights from 9:00 PM to midnight and 1:00 AM to 4:00 AM.
The current on-air staff as of January 2011 includes: The J. Will Jamboree (weekday mornings, 6:00–10:00 AM), Tanch (weekdays, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM), Charlie (weekday afternoons, 3:00 PM–7:00 PM), Scott Penk (weeknights, 7:00 PM–midnight), and Miss Sarah (overnights, midnight–6:00 AM). DJ iRoc also airs special shows throughout the week, such as the Friday Night Flava Mix from 7 to 11 PM on Friday nights, and AMW TAKEOVER M-F 11p-midnight. Weekend/fill-in jocks include Corporate, Special K, Linda Love, DJ TGIF and D. Rock.
Sunday afternoons also include the 100% Mixshow w/ Miss Sarah and DJ TGIF.
History
The station signed on May 24, 1991 as WCDA, running a full-service, locally programmed adult contemporary format, calling itself CD96.3. The format ran for three years, featuring live, personality-driven programming that included a full-time news staff. Unfortunately, the market was over-served by adult contemporary stations, and three years later the format was changed to a contemporary country format, initially using programming from Jones Satellite to target dominant country station WGNA-FMWGNA-FM
WGNA-FM is a country music-formatted radio station licensed to Albany, New York and serving New York's Capital District. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, and broadcasts at 12.5 kilowatts from the Helderberg Mountains tower farm in New Scotland...
. Eventually, WCDA brought back in more locally-produced programming. Like most locally-owned and operated "single" stations, WCDA found itself competing against ownership groups that had acquired multiple stations. The Albany market, like most radio markets in the nation, saw all of its individually-owned stations eventually sold to larger group broadcasters, WCDA among them.
In August 1996, Albany Broadcasting (forerunner to today's Pamal Broadcasting) purchased WCDA, put the WPTR calls the company retained from their sale of 1540 AM, and relaunched the station under a classic-heavy country approach. After 18 months of struggling ratings, the station relaunched on November 3, 1997 as new country Power Country 96.3 after a weekend of Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
-related stunting. The relaunch had no effect on its ratings as the station languished at the bottom of the ratings even with rights to Siena College
Siena College
Siena College is an independent Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Loudonville, in the town of Colonie, New York, United States. Siena is a four-year, coeducational, independent college in the Franciscan tradition, founded by the Franciscan Friars in 1937. It has 3,000 full-time students and...
men's basketball and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
baseball.
On December 23, 1998, WPTR changed its format to Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
, the first such station in the market, as Jamz 96.3 with the WAJZ calls following several weeks later. For its first half-decade, the station maintained very good numbers but increased competition from rivals WVCR-FM
WVCR-FM
WVCR-FM is a variety hits radio station owned by, and primarily staffed by students from, Siena College, located in Loudonville, New York...
(Siena College
Siena College
Siena College is an independent Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Loudonville, in the town of Colonie, New York, United States. Siena is a four-year, coeducational, independent college in the Franciscan tradition, founded by the Franciscan Friars in 1937. It has 3,000 full-time students and...
) and rhythmic-leaning WKKF
WKKF
WKKF is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station licensed to Ballston Spa, New York and serving the Capital District and Adirondacks...
forced the station to reevaluate its stance. In September 2005
2005 in radio
The year 2005 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*April 29 - KFRC 610 AM in San Francisco, switches formats as a result of ownership change. KFRC becomes KEAR, the "Sound of the New Life", a listener-supported, gospel/religious only station. It had been previously KFRC from...
, it started shifting its direction towards a Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
approach (similar to WPKF
WPKF
WPKF is a Rhythmic Top 40 radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from a tower mounted on the roof of the Ross Pavilion at the Hudson River...
in Poughkeepsie, New York) due to the station not having competitors when they were an urban station. Since 2011, the station has returned to an Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
direction with most dance product shifting to sister station WFLY
WFLY
WFLY is a Contemporary Hit Radio station licensed to Troy, New York and serving New York's Capital District as well as the surrounding areas, including the Adirondacks...
; however, the station is still reported as a Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
by Mediabase
Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
and Nielsen BDS.